Just Say Us
by Demonic Angel Clone
Summary: When 'Just Say No' and 'Just Say Me' aren't enough anymore, they only have one more thing to say...Polymorphous: Ricky/Adrian/Ben/Amy/Jack/Grace, rated M for explicit content.
1. Sounds in Silence

_**J**__ust __**S**__ay __**U**__s_

* * *

_Sounds in Silence_

* * *

They're not quite sure how they got here.

Not _literally _here in Ricky's apartment, or literally _here _together, but how they got here figuratively. Because they don't understand how they could have gotten so careless after all this time. The room is filled with a pregnant silence, stifling them all. Grace's head is knelt down on the tabletop, Adrian's caressing fingers running through her golden locks soothingly, only—nothing can sooth her at this time; not when it was her fault.

"It wasn't your fault, Grace," Amy murmurs, hands stroking hand, and the blonde's pubescent blue eyes threaten to water over. Jack strokes her back, and Ben sits on the other end of the table, feeling guilty for his indiscretion as well even though his fears aren't being assuaged.

Ricky's the only one truly moving, pacing about the small living space pensively. His eyes are darkened over in thought as he leaves an invisible trail over his carpet, and he doesn't want to think it, but it comes in spewing stints throughout his jumbled thoughts: _'We're in shit, we're really in shit…'_ Ben and Grace may've been caught by Kathleen, but he can't help but think that he did this. This was his idea, he drug them all down with him and now, all they can wait for are the flames by the proverbial stake.

Grace sniffles, and Ricky turns at the interruption. "Grace, tell us again, what you said to your mom," He says gently, but firm. He doesn't want to seem upset at her for ruining this impossible idyllic world the six of them have built, but he can practically see it tumbling down in front of him, and his annoyance comes off in waves. Adrian's gaze snaps from Grace's ashamed face to Ricky's stern ones, and she instinctively narrows her eyes in the blonde's defense. "She's already told us, Ricky. Repeating it isn't going to make this go away."

"We need to get our stories straight!" Ricky reacts, and everyone's weary eyes fall on him. A smoldering fire is beneath Adrian's though.

"And say _what_?" Adrian laments sarcastically, "'Yeah, I'm only going out with so and so, but if you see me acting flirty with someone else, it's not because I'm a cheating slut, it's because I'm going out with them too!'"

"Cool it, Adrian," Jack says from behind Grace, giving her shoulder a light squeeze. "Ricky's right, we gotta think right now, not go down each other's throats if we expect to get past this."

"Get past something we all knew from the beginning was a bad idea? Sure," The Latina scoffs.

"Well, do you have any ideas then?" Ricky asks, approaching the table. "Seriously, I'd love to hear it. Because right now, unless we think of something, we're all going to be known as freaks. Freaks that get together and have orgies or something."

Grace's head rises from the table, and she looks at Ricky petulantly, wiping her nose daintily with a tissue. "It's not like that, though. Not at all."

Ricky's hardened expression softens, "I know it's not. But other people don't, and what will they think of us if they find out?"

Ben notices the change; the change Ricky takes when he regards any of them at once. With Adrian he's more willing to argue because she'll always match him, word for word. He won't relent or censor himself around her because she'll always come back, and for that reason, he always protects her from others, even if she doesn't need it. With Amy, he treads on unsteady ground, practically walking on eggshells to get his point across. Still, beyond that is some level of understanding underlying, one he doesn't easily comprehend, but maybe that develops when you have a kid together.

But Grace was different. He shamelessly teases her. He tugs on her hair when she isn't looking. But he couldn't do something like get in an argument with her. Ben's pretty sure than no one could, actually, except Adrian, but that's an entirely different situation altogether that, if all of the guys involved in this relationship were questioned about, he's sure he understands that dynamic the most. Of course, that could be because he's actually taken time to try to understand it, unlike Ricky and Jack who are content just watching them make out.

"They'll think of why they didn't catch on sooner," Ben says, and everyone hones in on him. "It's not like we've been doing a good job, hiding this."

"He's right," Amy agrees with her boyfriend and smiles mutely as Ben stares at her mahogany green-flecked eyes, he feels closer to her, even if they're at opposite sides of the table. He stretches out his hand, grasping hers and running his thumb over her knuckles, and Ricky watches this, deliberating.

"What we've been doing is wrong, it's all wrong," Grace laments mournfully, fearing that it's over. From behind, Jack brushes back her flaxen hair from her shoulder, and drops an open-mouthed kiss on the crook of her neck that causes her breath to catch. She closes her eyes, savoring the feeling until he reaches that spot below her ear. "Does that feel wrong?" He asks, and she shakes her head fervently.

Adrian leans in and Grace, eyes still closed, gasps at the contact full on her lips, but leans into the touch. It's chaste, and intimate, and before Grace realizes that the kiss is over, her best friend is asking her if _that_ was wrong.

"It…of course it isn't." Her wide eyes open, "I feel like I should be saying yes, but I can't because how can it be wrong, if you care about the person?" Her brows are furrowed. "I mean, obviously society has an issue with polygamy, and most religious groups don't believe in bisexuality…" She looks around at her significant others. "I don't think of myself as bisexual –does that make me a hypocrite?"

"Does it really matter?" Adrian questions rhetorically. "I mean, if it feels right and you like the individual then why should it matter?"

"Because it does matter," Amy says thoughtfully. "Society _makes_ it matter. And I can live with being with all of you like this, but if John gets involved…"She stops herself, and Ben sees her glance directly at Ricky who nods in agreement with her; the unspoken bond solidified.

"John won't get involved, Amy," Jack tries failingly to reassure. "I mean, we made it this far, and we all agreed to this…relationship, and we can keep going because if we stop now then it'll be like we didn't care for each other at all. Like, this was some experience we did for kicks. And it wasn't…right?" Jacks inquires, and everyone stays silent. "_Right_?"

"…Do you always have to be so optimistic?" Adrian smirks.

"I know; you're worse than the freakin' school mascot," Ricky shakes his head, and Grace giggles.

Jack all but pouts. "I'm not. S'not my fault for wanting some reassurance. Speaking of which, what _is_ a lancer?"

"A guy with bad aim," Adrian answers immediately.

"That's what she said," Ben says after.

Laughter breaks out through the tension and, though momentarily, they forget their current trials and tribulations with soft touches and even softer glances.

Together.

* * *

Yes. You read it right. Ricky/Adrian/Ben/Amy/Jack/Grace, all in _one _relationship. If you're confused now, this is only a prologue, and how _this _ending up happening _will _be answered. I can't guarantee _too _much, but I'll answer any and every question. And, this is Secret Life, where people hook up like bunnies, so why not?

DAC


	2. The Third Time Around

_**J**__ust __**S**__ay __**U**__s_

* * *

_The Third Time Around_

* * *

The day's been long –long and tiring- and Amy is just about over it. _Over_ in the sense that, for right now, while she has her very adorable and very giggly son in her arms, she's just not going to worry about it. She's tired of worrying over every single action and every single thing, and really, all she does is worry. Being a young mother comes with that territory, but it's more than that.

It's more like _what will John think about this when he's old enough to figure it out? _Because she does care about what her son thinks. And _am I setting a good example for him? _She's happy with this; somehow, the load of whether or not she decides to have sex or not is lifted because Adrian loves sex almost as much as the boys do, _their _boys, and Grace is always willing to let her vent and be a caring shoulder to lean on. Really, what more could she _want_ from a relationship?

John babbles unintelligibly on her lap, gesturing to the red race car in his hands, and Amy smiles when he runs it up her bicep.

"Hey, how's my favorite kid?"

Amy smirks as she looks up, immediately recognizing the voice. Jack leans on the jamb of her doorway, and she brushes a bang back with a widening smile. "What about the other kids in the church group?"

Jack shrugs and walks in to stand in front of the mother and son. John looks up and points at Jack with the toy car in his hand with a knowing expression, and Jack ruffles his hair with a grin. "Alright, don't tell 'em, but…John's still my favorite."

Amy giggles, and bounces her son on her lap before settling him down on the floor.

Before –before this all happened- Amy could count the number of times she and Jack spoke to one another, and now…

She stands from her spot on the bed and she's not sure who came closer to whom, but Jack's strong arms encircle her waist and her hands snake up to the base of his neck over his pectorals, and their lips meet surely, Jack tilting his head to deepen the kiss as soon as they meet. His hands go to her hips and then back up to her waist, and they end up swaying in place after a few moments before Amy backs away with a smile, looking out through her bedroom door quickly.

"We've got to be careful," Amy whispers, still in his embrace and looking into his eyes. "After what happened with Grace and Ben-"

Jack dips his head and silences her with a chaste kiss. "Relax…I told you that earlier, remember?" The jock reminds her, brushing her hair from her cheek. Amy nods, and sighs before releasing herself from his embrace.

"And," Amy begins to add. "I don't want John getting confused." She wipes the corner of her lip daintily with her finger to clear the offending gloss.

Jack sighs heavily and runs his hand through his brown hair. "It was one time, Ames. And, he's must've done that before –with Ben, right?"

_Wrong_.

Amy shakes her head, "No. He's not around Ben as much, actually. He once called Adrian _mama_ once but I got over that." She nods with her arms crossed. "If Ricky finds out that he called you dad-"

"Are you going to tell him, Amy?" Jack asks earnestly.

_I…_ "No, of course not."

"And I won't either," Jack promises. "I was an accident; John's little and I'm sure that when he's old enough to say sentences, he'll call me _Uncle_ Jack. He knows who his father is."

Amy hesitates, but nods, and Jack gives her another soft kiss reassuringly on the lips before toting a giggling John in his arms and out the room.

* * *

Adrian typically gets riled up, and when she gets riled up, she gets horny. Like, _let's have a threesome, foursome, orgy type thing_ horny, and those who wish to bow out usually do –Amy's still kind of prude-ish about that type of thing, but Adrian gets it, and it's being worked on, so she's not concerned about that. She stays over at Ricky's after Amy leaves along with Jack and Grace, still semi-pissed at the drummer for rushing their obviously distraught girlfriend, but going into his room all the same. The only thing keeping her placated is Ben's warm hand in hers.

"You know how Ricky is," Ben says reproachfully, referring to what happened earlier with Grace, and Adrian rolls her eyes with a huff.

"I know, that's what ticks me off the most," She mutters, pushing him onto the bed and straddling him. She bows her head, mouth nipping his neck, fingers unclasping his once buttoned shirt's buttons and working on his fly simultaneously. She's really doing this because 1) she gets to piss Ricky off by doing this in his bed without him, 2) she wants Ben's hands on her, like, now, and 3) arguing gets her horny.

It's pretty much a win-win for her.

The unzipping zipper is very audible in the silence and Ben's large hands cup her ass as she lays him down and leans over him on the bed. Initially, Ben wouldn't have dared touch her, or any other girl, like that, but Adrian isn't any other girl. The first time, she put his hands there herself, and asked if he liked the feel, which, of course he did. The second time, he grabs it forcefully, much to her approval.

A clearing of the throat is heard and Adrian breaks away, looking behind her to see Ricky looking at them admonishingly at the doorway. "I told you to never have sex on my bed unless I'm here for it."

The Latina smirks, and points out that he is here now. "You're welcome to join us," Adrian continues seductively, pulling Ben's shirt apart and leaving trails of open-mouthed kisses down his taut chest. When her lips reach Ben's abdomen, she smiles when she feels Ricky's skilled tongue on her shoulder and hands underneath her shirt. _Definitely a win-win._

Her shirt soon joins Ben's on the far side of the bed, and Ben leans up with his arms around her waist and his head in-between the valley of her breasts. Ricky's hand has her already unbuttoned in the front, and his hand slips down into her lacy panties, fingers slick from her already wet folds. He brushed her thick curls to one side and lavishly kissed the nape of her neck as he was doing this, and Adrian's breath was already coming out in enthusiastic stints. Somehow, when it got like this, she always felt more empowered, more like a Goddess with multiple lovers and she wondered if that was the reason guys fantasized about bedding more than one girl at once. Her hips began grinding against Ricky's teasing digit that was just content with sliding itself along her slit, back and forth. After practically bouncing on Ben's lap, she growled out, "Stop being a damn tease, Ricky, and just do it already."

Ben unclasps her bra from the front and her breasts fall open to him. He takes a moment to admire Adrian in her pre-coital bliss and she's so _beautiful_ with her head leant back like that and when his tongue ends up circling her dusky nipples, he back arches and it's his name she murmurs out in ecstasy. Between her sporadic movements in time with Ricky's hand, and the proximity of the drummer's hand, Ben's already hardened beneath her and aching underneath the friction.

Later, when they're sated and spent, lying in Ricky's bed naked under covers, Ricky gets up from the far side of the bed and exits his bedroom, and Ben's eyes fall on Adrian, who's turned towards him.

"Why does he do that?" Ben whispers to Adrian under a cloak of darkness, where Ricky can't hear.

"You mean, leave the room after sex?" Adrian asks back, and Ben nods. "Because he has… I dunno, issues with pillow talk." She says in a cavalier fashion, but then the glint in her playful eyes wane, and she becomes serious. "He doesn't like getting too close, and when you stay after sex, it becomes more than just the sex, it becomes…intimate."

"Then why even agree to this arrangement, if he doesn't want to get close?" Ben's brow furrows, and Adrian kisses the worry away.

"Because he'd rather have all of us, than none of us at all," Adrian muses, and then looks at Ben fully in his dark almond eyes, revealed by the sliver of moonlight in the room. "Are you about to leave?"

Ben wraps his arm around her waist, flushed skin on skin, "I should soon, Dad'll get worried." And worry brings up questions, and unanswered questions raise suspicion, which is the last thing they all need right now, especially with what happened with Grace's mom.

Adrian stays quiet in the dark, so much that Ben almost misses what she says a few moments later. "Can you stay? At least until I fall asleep? Ricky's here, but Ricky's _Ricky_, and-"

Ben just brings her closer, until her head is nestled into the crook of his neck, and he nods.

"Tell me a bedtime story."

Ben chuckles warmly. "About?"

"Anything," She yawns, on the brink of unconsciousness.

So Ben tells a familiar story, one about a boy and his father, one that doesn't end happily because he knows her well enough that while she'd _want_ a happily ever after, life doesn't come with those too often and she appreciates the realism.

Ricky leans against the wall next to the open door, glassy eyed because the tale wasn't just a tale; it was real life for him. He hears Ben's voice painting a scene he's relived in dreams and nightmares over and over again, until he walks back in the room, seemingly unaware of the revival.

Ben, still awake and cradling a sleeping Adrian, looks to the figure in the doorway. "She loves you, you know."

Ricky nods; he does know. "She loves you, too. For stayin' and… all the things I'll never do."

"You don't _have_ to leave, Ricky." Ben says, "It's just us, and we _want_ you to stay."

Ricky feels scathing words on his tongue –_you can't always get what you want, rich boy_- but somehow it doesn't feel right to say and he's be lying if he said he didn't want to stay, too.

So, he doesn't put a moment of thought into it; just gets back into bed, arm over Ben's around Adrian's waist and in the morning, he'll get up before either of 'em, just to make it seem like he didn't stay the whole night because he can't have them thinking he's doing something out of character –like falling in love with them, or something.

He buries his face in Adrian's mussed curls, front to her back, presses a kiss to her bare shoulder and runs his thumb over Ben's knuckles before accepting sleep.

* * *

**Dance Alice Dance** – Fic rec: _My Heart Is Reeling_ by Mystikat, Glee polymorphous fic. Dude, I can't even… And thank you so much for the support and insight, I've been meaning to start this and I hope to cover all of the dynamics!

**Lynn**- Hope you'll stick around, maybe you'll like it.

Thank you to all readers, hope to update soon~

DAC


	3. You're All Mine

_**J**__ust __**S**__ay __**U**__s_

* * *

_You're All Mine_

* * *

Grace is giddy. Giddy, excited, _over-the-moon_, and smiling so widely that her mother has to wonder if her cheeks hurts. So, finally, Kathleen asks the question that has been on her mind since Saturday.

"Are you having an affair with Ben?"

Grace's wide smile forms an 'O' and she looks up from her love induced cloud of content as if she's been slapped. "What?"

"You-_you kissed him_, Grace," Kathleen says helplessly. "And now it's Valentine's, and you're acting as if it didn't happen." Grace's eyes shift nervously, and Kathleen continues when she averts her gaze, "Or maybe like it did happen. Do you like Ben?"

"As a friend," Grace stresses verbally. _Boyfriend_, she corrects internally. "And that kiss –we were caught up in the moment. I-I'd never purposefully hurt Jack."

"You're stuttering," Kathleen says offhandedly.

"I'm _not_," Grace blushes. "I just-" _Want him to hold my hand. Want Jack to hold me at night. Want Ricky to kiss my thoughts away_. _I want them all_. "I'll tell him," Grace amends. Kathleen's brow rises skeptically.

"You'll tell Jack you kissed another guy? On Valentine's day?"

Grace mouth opens and closes, and yeah, that sounds like the dumbest thing ever, even to her ears. But she needs to make her mom believe it. "Jack's cheated on me before, and I on him, and we promised each other no secrets. And we'll be stronger than ever because of this," She nods fervently, blonde curls bouncing. She walks over to the kitchen counter, taking her wrapped freshly made cookies in hand before placing them in her purse, smiling brightly once more. "I'll tell you about it later, promise."

Kathleen still looks unsure and disbelieving of her naïve daughter's logic, but nods nonetheless. "Okay, Grace. Just- have a good day and…don't tell Jack you kissed another boy. If it was meaningless like you said-"

_Which it wasn't._

"-then don't hurt him unnecessarily."

Grace nods, wide smile still intact. "Love you mom," She says, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before heading out of the house.

* * *

"And so, I told her that I would tell Jack that I kissed Ben," Grace finishes her babble, completely winded. She looks to her girlfriends for reassurance, or perhaps understanding, but what she gets in return is a pair of amused smirks at her plight. She pouts, and Adrian laughs.

"So, in other words, you've been two-timing Jack with Ben, and three-timing Ben with Amy, Ricky, and I," Adrian bats her eyes innocently, and Grace's eyes widen, playing along.

"But my mom doesn't know about that!" Grace hisses, swatting at her arm, and Amy giggles, biting into one of Grace's deliciously warm cookies. Amy really doesn't cook much, or very well for that matter. Therefore, having girlfriends that _can_ is always a plus. Grace's lips are pushed out in an adorable pout that just _begging_ to be kissed away, and Ricky appears behind her, tickling her sides until her brilliant smile appears again. Breathless, she clutches her front until she swats his hands away. Amy joins in the fray, and between the two teenaged parents, the giggly blonde doesn't stand a chance. "Okay, _okay_!" Grace proclaims, still smiling. "I give in!"

Actions like these in public, or at least in the hallways at school, aren't even given a second glance. People are some preoccupied with their own teen drama and getting to class that unless it were something huge, like a fight, no one really cares about the happenings in cliques outside of their own. The six of them have always been known to be a bit _too_ touchy-feely in public but nothing so crass to really catch anyone's attention.

Adrian smirks when she feels Jack's muscular arm thrown around her neck and she laces the hand attached with her own. Any passerby _could_ mistake them as boyfriend and girlfriend, but Adrian's rep precedes her, and Jack is known for falling for bad girls before being led back to Grace. They'll think it's them trying to make their significant other jealous –Grace, who's still giggling with flushed cheeks, and Ricky, arm still around her as he places a kiss in the area below her ear briefly under the cover of blonde hair.

What isn't known to their schoolmates, however, is that there's no need to be jealous when they're _yours_, regardless of who happens to be holding whom.

Ben appears next to Amy in that infamously stalker type way Adrian loves to tease him about, and Grace's face lights up like a tree on Christmas day before opening her purse and presenting him with a neatly wrapped cookie. "It's your favorite, Ben," She gushes with flirtatious eyes, even as she snuggles into Ricky.

Ben grins as Jack and Ricky's faces fall. "Thanks!"

"Hey, what about me?" Jack questions with a furrowed brow. "I don't get a cookie?"

"Yeah, _Grace_," Ricky draws out in a hollow whisper next to her ear, and the blonde shivers in his embrace. "What gives?"

"I-I just…you surprised me, Ricky, and I didn't get a chance to even think about giving you your cookie, Jack," She says apologetically, before reaching in her purse and retrieving their sweets.

Adrian swats Jack's hand away from hers, and leans to swat Ricky's shoulder as well. "Quit with the guilt trip, the two of you," Adrian says, suddenly protective of her blonde.

"And _you_ quit with the mama bear act. Grace is a _big girl_, I know _that_ very well," Ricky smirks, an all-knowing glint in his eyes that promises, and God, he's _such_ an asshole. An incredibly loveable asshole who happens to be an amazing father and a great boyfriend –_when he actually tries_.

Grace, always the peacekeeper, hands the boys their cookies, and laughs when they devour them in under a minute. Jack tries brushing the crumbs away from his hand on his jeans, and Adrian, instead, takes his hand and curls her lips around one of his fingers, looking up at him from underneath her eyelashes. "Really, Adrian?" Jack asks as her tongue slides onto the digit.

She smiles and slides his finger out of her mouth, licking her lips. "I _love_ Grace's cookies."

"They _are_ good," Amy agrees, nodding.

"_And_ sweet," Ben echoes by her side, arm around her shoulders.

Grace's cheeks grow pink and bows her head at the praise, "I love you guys."

* * *

It all starts at a party –right after the season's last football game at Jesse's house. Everyone was invited since this was Grant's first championship win since the 1980's so it was a pretty big deal.

Ricky walks in the house with Adrian, and somehow ends up on the couch with Amy, who had come with Ben. He watches with heedy eyes, Adrian grinding on the dance floor with Grace in-between her and Jack and out loud, without giving it another thought, he says, "What if we were all together?"

Amy looks at him curiously and Ben nearly chokes mid-sip. He doesn't explain himself quickly after that, eyes still glued to Adrian and Grace's sinewly bodies, and he laughs. "We'd be freaks though, wouldn't we?" He questions again, without looking at Amy and Ben.

Amy's mouth opens, and closes. She looks down at her and Ben's clasped hands, "What do you mean by _all together_?"

"Forget about it," Ricky dismisses the thought.

"You mean, like what you were talking about at Band camp?" Amy asks patiently, and Ben tugs at his cardigan uncomfortably at the touchy subject. He wants to pull Amy away from Ricky, like a moth attracted to the flame, but he also wants to stay and listen to this. "About…how relationships centered around more than two people would have less drama, less pressure?"

"It's stupid, Amy."

"But-"

"_Forget it_."

Amy huffs, and considers, really considers the hardened expression on Ricky's face. Ben, just this once, is willing to agree with Ricky, but is shocked by what comes out of his girlfriend's mouth. "It would take me a while…to get used to something like that," Amy finally says, and suddenly her boyfriend and the father of her child are paying attention to her very closely. "I mean, I've really only considered monogamous relationships because of my parents, but now that they're divorced…I don't know, I guess between that and everything that's happened this past year, that maybe it's starting to make sense."

Ben, wordlessly, wraps his arm around Amy's waist. Ricky, wordlessly, smirks at the territorial display. "What's wrong Ben? Don't like sharing?"

"Not on your life," Ben glares at the drummer.

"Well, you know what they say," Ricky drawls. "_Sharing_ is _caring_."

Before Ben could get another word in and Amy could tell them to stop arguing, an infectious giggle approaches them and a mass of blonde hair and wide eyes falls on Ben's lap. Ben steadies Grace's hip with his free hand, still stunned by the abrupt intrusion. It takes her a second to realize what's happened, and she looks back at Ben over her shoulder, "Thank you so much, Ben!" She says over the music.

"Ah, no problem," Ben hesitates, looking at his girlfriend expecting jealously and then looking up at Jack expecting anger but none of those emotions are there. Adrian follows suit, sitting on Ricky's lap with her arms around his neck and his tongue down her throat.

"Hey, Amy," Jack greets politely.

"Hi Jack," The French Horn player smiles. "Nice game tonight, winning throw."

"I know! I've never thrown that far before."

"Really?" Amy asks, eyes sparkling.

"Yeah," Jack nods before looking over at Grace on Ben's lap. "Having a good time?"

Grace hums her approval, while Ben flushes out a quick "Yeah," under his breath.

Amy scoots over, "You could sit down, if you want," She acknowledges to Jack.

"You mean, next to that?" He points out Adrian and Ricky, completely enamored with one another at that moment.

She looks at him reproachfully, "Please? It's not like I want to be next to it either."

Adrian takes a break away from Ricky's lips. "You know, we can hear you, we're right here."

"We know," The two other couples agree.

"I've got a better idea," Jack grins and as quickly as he had spoken, Jack lands on her lap, eliciting a laugh from Amy as she laughs into his back. He spreads his legs wide, shifting most of his weight to the balls of his feet, which Amy appreciates as Ben contemplates whether or not he's entered the Twilight Zone. Grace laughs at the sight of her boyfriend on top of Amy with a shake of her head. She looks back at Ben apologetically, "I'm sorry, Ben, I wasn't paying attention and I think I slipped when Jack was tickling me."

"It's okay," He breathes out with a smile, eases when she smiles back even wider.

"For the record, your lap is very comfortable, and very warm."

"Thanks," He says, and he realizes that his hand is still very warm and steady on her hip.

"And I never got to tell you, but you look _great_ without your braces."

Ben pauses, even more stunned and bewildered. "You knew I had _braces_?" He pauses. "You knew who I _was_ when I had braces?"

Grace scoffs incredibly, smile blinding, "_Of course_ I knew who you were! I mean, I know we never spoke much in middle school –that was partially my fault. I always thought I sounded weird when I spoke with my braces." She reveals in a whisper self-consciously.

Ben's jaw slacks. "Are you _kidding_ me?" _You were a Goddess_!

"_No_!" The blonde laughs. "I used to be called _Motormouth_ until I got my retainer, and _ugh_, I was so insecure about it back then!" Grace shakes her head at the thought of her own childish antics. Somehow Ben's arms winded up wrapped around Grace's waist and she looked down at them with a smile, "We should all hang out sometime, all of us." She murmurs and Ben can't help but agree with the words that left those pearly pink lips.

* * *

It's Grace's first Valentine's Day ever with her in a relationship, and she plans on making it special, but with five people to account for, it is a bit tricky.

Fortunately, the bubbly blonde is up to the task.

She made the cookies for Ben as those were his favorite, and then snuck a mixtape in Ricky's locker with Amy's help of the best drumlines in the world during lunch. And after school, she agrees to a football lesson with Jack and a bath with Adrian at Ricky's apartment after that and then finally, she sets the table with pasta, salad, and wings, Amy's favorites, and honestly the easiest meal to cook with very little time.

Kathleen enters, a little confused at the six placemats. "Are Tom and I eating with you too, honey?"

Grace brushes her hand against her apron, "Actually, it's a triple date."

Kathleen's brow rises. "A _triple_ date?"

"Mmhmm," She hums. "Amy is coming over with Ben, and Ricky with Adrian, and then Jack with me, of course," She laughs unnecessarily. Kathleen is unamused.

"Did you plan this, Grace? I mean, wouldn't you rather spend the time alone with Jack?"

"Mom, it's _fine_," Grace smiles widely, widely enough to sting. "We're all friends." _Boyfriends and girlfriends._

The older woman just frowns, only slightly. "Did you tell Jack? About Ben?"

"There's nothing to tell," Grace shakes her head with a smile. The doorbell rings and Grace sighs in relief, heading to the door with Kathleen in tow. Before she opens it, Kathleen whispers, "Tom and I are going to go out for dinner since he's still a bit down from his break up with Tammy. Now, since your friends are here, I expect you all will behave?"

Grace nods, "Of course mom. We're _best friends_. Everything's going to be fine."

Kathleen nods her assent with a reassured smile, and then leaves to the kitchen to meet Tom so they could leave through the backdoor. Grace makes sure she hears the click of the backdoor closing before opening her front door. Adrian is clinging to Ricky, Amy holding Ben's hand, and Jack sweeps her in a consuming kiss before she could say a word otherwise. She smiles against his lips and breathes out happily when her eyes fill with the faces of the people in front of her, the people she loves.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Thanks to kimsterxox, Gen, and Charlie Baytes. I've _definitely_ regained interest in this.

DAC


	4. Six Ways to Sunday

_**J**ust **S**ay **U**s_

* * *

_Six Ways to Sunday_

* * *

So on Valentine's, he visits Grace with his girls and guys in tow and just holds her in his arms as he kisses her by the door. And when he smiles into the kiss because Grace has a giggle bubbling down her throat, it's not a smirk like Ricky's and it's not goofy like Ben's, but it's knowing and promising more to come.

He backs away and Grace sighs against his lips, smiles when she looks at her boyfriends and girlfriends. "I, um, _hi_!" She greets enthusiastically. This is all so new, so _incredible_, and she's not really sure of the protocol for dating several people at once. Should she kiss them all as they come in, or wait until after dinner-

But Ricky answers her question because he kisses her after Jack steps in, sure and firm, and then Adrian laughs at the pink on the blonde's cheeks before kissing one of them, and Ben leans in halfway while Grace takes control, more sure of her intentions this time, and Amy kisses her other cheek as the door closes.

* * *

"_So_," Adrian drawls, dipping her French fry into ketchup, and of course, making the act appear as sensual and provocative as possible as she bites the tip off the end. "How does this work out for you? I mean, doesn't God have some sort of rules against multiple people _humping_ each other like bunnies and calling it a relationship?"

She's looking at Jack and Grace, but everyone else in on the conversation just opens their mouths in disbelief –_Amy and Ben_- or facepalms –_Ricky_. Jack, known for not keeping his cool at times, somehow does.

"Have you ever heard the story of Job?" Jack asks coolly.

"_What_?"

"He was loyal to God, even when he was subjected to disease and his family dying because of the Devil testing his loyalty. In the end, God rewarded him with children and ten more wives. So, I guess what I'm saying is that polygamy wasn't a bad practice in Christianity, and I think that no matter what, God will still love me, and all of us," Jack explains.

Adrian rolls her eyes with a chuckle. "So, in other words, you're bullshitting and justifying all of this because of some martyr from a book written by a guy from some time that was never _really_ documented?"

Grace appears like she was just slapped.

"No, I'm saying that God would send a sign. A sign that would show what He thinks about all of this." Jack says confidently, and Adrian just shakes her head with a condescending laugh.

"Adrian, you can't keep doing that, if this has _any_ chance of working," Grace says with a straight face.

The Latina scoffs, "Doing _what_?"

"Challenging our _beliefs_!" Grace exclaims. "It's not right; Jack and I can believe in what we want to believe in, and someone who _supposedly_ cares about us, shouldn't be making fun of that."

Adrian sobers up, all amusement gone from her face. "I _do_ care, okay? Would I even be here right now if I _didn't_?"

"Then prove it," Grace challenges. "Come to church with us."

Adrian visibly cringes, and Ricky snickers at her obvious discomfort. "Yeah, Adrian, _in church_? I don't think that's happening again."

Adrian looks over at him, straight-faced with a glare, "It _could_ happen again. Maybe."

"For Jack and I?" Grace grins hopefully and reaches Adrian's hand with her own from across the table.

Adrian sighs as if the largest weight in the world was just dropped on her lap when Grace looks at her with those overly happy blue eyes. She wants to say no, or anything really, to shut her down, but she can't because she guesses she really wants to try this whole _being a good girlfriend_ thing and she finds no real reason to be a bitch about it. She rolls her eyes, sighs, and then nods begrudgingly, "Maybe. One day."

Grace squeals in delight, and Jack can't help but admire the power she has over the Latina.

* * *

Grace gets that anxious sort of fluttering down in the pit of her belly. She wouldn't call herself nervous, but she is expected to entertain her five significant others, and the task, while she's up to it, is proving to be very daunting.

She takes the ham she prepared out the oven, which she happens to be very proud of, and starts slicing it. She almost feels really bad for practically _shooing_ her mom and Tom out of the house, but she wanted this to be special and going out to eat is a moot point. It's not that they haven't all been out to eat, but in the privacy of a home, there's more freedom to speak and act freely, rather than in a restaurant with curious eyes and even more curious ears.

"Need some help?"

Amy leans on the island, smile on her face. Grace blushes and looks back at the ham, determined while drizzling on more glaze. "No, I'm fine, dinner's about to be served."

Ricky strolls in, wraps his arm around Amy's waist. "What's the hold-up?"

"_Ricky_!" Amy hisses.

Grace huffs, but doesn't answer. Instead she takes the banana pudding out of the fridge to let it sit and the tossed salad to go on the table. She flusters, looking about the kitchen, until she remembers that the fully loaded mash potatoes she made were warming on the stove to be served. She opens the pots and stirs, _perfect_, not too watery but not overly thick either.

Ben comes in. "Something smells great."

Grace grins momentarily. "Thanks, dinner's about to be served." She grabs the ham platter, Amy helps by holding the salad, and the two girls rush into the dining room. Ricky shakes his head and looks at Ben, "They could've asked for help."

Ben shrugs, getting the pot of mashed potatoes. "I think she's nervous."

Ricky snorts, grabbing onto the banana pudding Grace has laid out on the counter. "Don't see why, considering everything."

The boys head for the dining room and Grace is serving drinks, busily trying to entertain, and she's talking at 100 miles per.

"Dinner looks great, Grace," Jack indulges.

"Thanks!" Grace beams, "I'm so glad that it got done in time, and luckily, mom didn't ask _too_ many questions –I mean, it's a lot of food and she thinks it's just for us two, and I don't know how I'm going to tell her that everything got eaten. And Tom is already _so_ suspicious _and_ -"

Adrian leans over and covers her mouth, and Grace, in her shock, shuts up. Finally, she looks over, "I was talking too much again, wasn't I?"

"Just a little," The Latina smirks.

Grace takes a deep breath to calm herself and takes a forkful of mashed potatoes to fill her mouth so that she wouldn't have reason to talk.

* * *

Cherry red fingernails press against his varsity jacket as the hand attached holds him up against a long row of lockers. Adrian's sharp eyes peer up at him, and Jack sighs.

"I can't believe perfect _Grace_ is going for this –what _did_ you say to her?"

"I didn't have to say anything," Jack looks down at her hand, and finally takes it off of his chest. After a moment, he tilts his head. "I guess she…I don't know. I think she wants to have sex, but she's stopping herself."

"And it's a wonder why," Adrian muses with a smirk on her face. "We've all practically been with each other already, so why don't we stop screwing around, and just do it."

"Not all of us are fine with this polygamy thing Adrian."

"Oh, but you _are_, Jack." She leans up to his ear, taking care that her entire torso languidly presses up against his, "I can tell."

And as she walks away, he doesn't know if she meant that cruelly, as if to say that he couldn't be monogamous and this was probably the only way he could handle being in a relationship with Grace, or if she was just being herself, up to her own little tricks.

Probably a bit of both.

Why did he agree to this again?

Striding down the hallway with a quick gait, comes the reason why.

Ricky and his dumb ideas.

The drummer looks at him cagily. "What part of _low profile_ did you and Adrian not get? Do you want people to find out about…" He waves a hand carelessly between them. "_This_?"

"She practically grinds me up against the locker, and _I'm_ to blame?" Jack asks incredulously.

"Adrian can be reined in, _you_ on the other hand," Ricky looks down suddenly, and raises an eyebrow, thrusting his binder in Jack's direction to cover up the noticeable bulge in front of Jack's jeans. "Get a grip, man."

And his face heats up because, yeah, even though Adrian's lithe body was pressed up against his not even five minutes ago, it's the back of Ricky's hand brushing against his crotch that gets him all hot and bothered.

He has to go home and seriously think about that because there's no way he's gay –he got in this for the whole _dating three girls at one time and it being totally okay_ thing and the whole _sharing three girls with two guys_ thing took a backseat to that. But it's only now that it occurs to him that he's not just _sharing_ with Ricky and Ben.

He's _dating_ them too.

And what's worse is that he's kinda turned on by that.

He takes a long, long cold shower after practice that night, not too sure what to think about that, and waiting for that sign.

* * *

Grace feels… bubbly? Giddily? Happy enough to drown in oblivion without a life preserver in sight as she was consumed in a sea of hands and flesh.

Jack had gotten his hands on a bottle of wine and she may have indulged herself in a glass or two at the insistence of the group. Everything appeared very fuzzy and initially very muddled –lips lazily caressed down her neck, a hand creeping up her inner thigh past the hemline of her skirt, another pressing possessively against the cup of her padded bra- it was hard to tell who was pleasuring whom and where one patch of skin ended, and another began. Grace's face broke into a goofy smile as fingers brushed against her belly in a way that tickled her.

Actually, if she thought about it, or had the capacity to do so at the moment, this entire situation was funny –a group of sexually active and horny teenagers in a dry humping orgy on her small couch in her very modest and Christian home?

She starts outright laughing.

She hears a couple of shushes that she doesn't concern herself with, or maybe they just seem equally as silly, but either way someone –Jack? Ricky? Covers her mouth to stifle the laughter with their own. A hand reaches out and holds her face closer and she feels that warm, tingly feeling overtake her again, tampering down her giggles.

"We should probably move this somewhere else," a deep voice states clearly and logically, and oh, it sounds like Ricky so Grace mentally crosses him off her mental list of people who could be kissing her.

"The guesthouse?" Another lighter, feminine voice asked sensibly. Amy. Another name off the list.

There's a lot of shifting as she feels bodies rising from the couch. She loses her breath when she feels a shy tongue draw out the hollow of her inner cheek; Adrian's automatically out as she tastes no flavored lipgloss, and the lips are far too thin. And now that she thinks about it, the kiss is tentative, tender.

She pulls back with a smile, and opens her eyes, knowing that soft brown eyes would be on the other side of her gaze.

"Is that okay with you, Grace?" Ben inquires, always so considerate and non-pressuring.

She smiles even wider. "Of course," and allows herself to be led to the guesthouse.

* * *

Verrrrrrry fillerish chapter.

_Sigh_.

Thank you to everyone who has followed, faved, and reviewed.

DAC


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